Neyo music video analysis

Ne-yo

Champagne life

R&B/Soul

Producer- David Dorohn Gough, Dana Marshall, Neil Maiers

Director- Ne-yo, Wayne Isham

Composer- Shafter Smith, David Gough

Record Label- Def. Jam Records

Copyright- © 2012 The Island Def. Jam Music Group

Mise-en-scene/ editing/camera techniques:

Actor dressed in black suit, white shirt, black braces and black skinny tie- showing a sense of class and sophistication, but with the addition of the skinny tie, he is able to add a sense of fashion that is highly associated to the image of an R&B artists and the ‘Champagne Life’. The braces however change his look to fit a 1950’s gangster, whilst matched with the visual modern take of the video, gives this video and edge over other typical R&B videos. The black hat is a staple piece in all of ne-yo’s videos and this fashion choice has become a way for the audience to identify the artist. The extras that play the roles of the club goers are also dressed in sexy sophisticated attire completing the sense of the verisimilitude within the video.  The fast, sharp editing matches his intended image- the fast lane within success and the extravagance that accompanies it. The blurring of the actor along with the chandelier of champagne glasses- means to blur his own identity with the identity of fame and riches as one. Multitude of long/wide shots expressing the grandness of his location along with his fortune and lifestyle- ‘champagne life’. Low angle shots- making the main actor look successful and dominant. Every shot apart from the black and white newspaper clips has a hint of gold in it, emphasizing the ambience of wealth.

Representations

In the music video, the artist, Ne-yo is represented as a successful black male whom is well dress and ‘living It large’ with his wealth and fame and very popular with the ladies. This is evident with the majority of the cast being female flaunting themselves at Ne-yo. Ne-yo’s ability to dance adds to this image, as along with the three female dancers in this video, he and his two backup dancers are seen to be a sex symbol also.

Audiences

The target audience for this video is young men and females who listen to R&B and those who can identify with this lifestyle and also younger teens who look at this video and aspire to this life style. It is also for those who like to watch glamorous videos and enjoy the club life. This song isn’t a mainstream song as in it wasn’t in the charts and so I would adhere to fans of Ne-yo’s and R&B. Audience who are familiar with Ne-yo’s work will watch this video and will identify with it as it is a mix between narrative and performance but leaning more so on performance.

Uses and gratification theory

- satisfying curiosity and general interest as people may be
- exploring personal values as the behaviour seen in the video some people may understand as adhering or subverting to certain values like money and fame.
- finding a basis for social interaction as people may want to discuss the entertainment from the performance

-  Escapism from personal problems/ dreary lifestyle
- cultural or aesthetic enjoyment
- to fill time
- Sexual arousal as the artist is an attractive male artist and there are also attractive women who dance within the video